Lunch: Rustic Garlic Chicken

Yes, three heads of garlic. You don't have to peel the cloves first. They soften during cooking and take on a subtle sweetness. Each person squeezes the garlic out of its skin onto the plate to eat with the chicken.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. Cooking oil
1 chicken (about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
3 heads garlic
2 tbsp. flour
1 c. dry white wine
1 c. canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400 °F. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Cook the chicken until well browned, turning, about 8 minutes in all, and remove from the pot. Reduce the heat to moderate, add the garlic, and sauté until it is starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and stir until combined. Return the chicken to the pot, cover, and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the pot from the oven and put it on a burner. Remove the chicken pieces from the pot. Over moderately high heat, whisk in the wine and simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until starting to thicken, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off, whisk in the butter, and pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with the parsley.
Menu Suggestion: There's plenty of luscious, garlicky sauce here. Take advantage of it with mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice.
Wine Recommendation: This simple Gallic dish will work well with a rustic red wine from the south of France. Look for lesser-known, good-value bottles from Corbières or Minervois, or a more serious, tannic wine from Cahors.

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